O.C.P.D. What is it?

“But I need to keep this! I might suddenly get a craving for a three year old seaspin smoothie!”

“Don’t throw away my blue Gelert eraser! What if a Neoschool does get built and my Neopets are the only ones unprepared?”

“No, not my leftover scrap metal! That holds so many of my memories!”

If you’ve ever had the above conversations with someone, then chances are they have fallen victim. Fallen victim to what, you ask?

I’m afraid your friend/family member/co-worker/mailman/stock broker has fallen victim to the debilitating and expensive obsession called “Packorius Ratneola“, more commonly known as Obsessive Compulsive Packrat Disorder. Some may also call it Obsessive Hoarding.

Obsessive Compulsive Packrat Disorder, or OCPD, affects many Neopians. In fact, it is probably one of the most common illnesses in Neopia.

It is also one of the most undiagnosed.

Why does it fly so low under the radar? OCPD is a mental illness, not a physical ailment. That friendly Dr. Gelert at the hospital can’t come up with a cure for it. He can barely diagnose it. Why is that? OCPD also doesn’t show any physical signs. It can be very hard to spot. The general public still doesn’t know much about this obsession. It was only recently decided that this was a real illness and research has only just started. This explains the many different names given.

Fortunately for you, I’m somewhat of an expert on these things.

Yes, I can confidently write about this mental affliction because I suffer from it as well. I diagnosed myself about a month ago after years and years of living in blissful denial. You see, one day I happened to pry open the rusty doors of my safety deposit box and what did I find? Over 1,300 items! There were items I had never even seen before! That is when I pieced all of my symptoms together. I have OCPD and I can no longer pretend it isn’t there.

Do you think you have OCPD? Here’s a simple test. If you answer ‘true’ to three or more of the following questions, you may have OCPD.

1. It’s spring cleaning time. You decide to tackle your safety deposit box first. You open the doors and get going. After sorting through over one thousand items, you only pick out about ten items to sell, mostly omelettes and fishing junk. The rest you keep. True or false?

2. You find two Christmas paint brushes in your safety deposit box! Wow, how did they get there! After contemplating it, you toss them into your safety deposit box for safe keeping. You never know when you might need them! True or false?

3. True or false? You have either a full codestone set, ten orange items, or all of the advent calendar items from the last three years in your safety deposit box.

4. You already have the packrat avatar but you haven’t sold any of your extra stuff. True or false?

5. Everything you get is automatically shoved into your SDB. Yes or no?

6. You often make excuses as to why you can’t sell the items you have. Some may include “I’ll use it eventually,” or “I’ll wait until the price goes up.” Does this sound like you?

6. If you actually sell one of your precious items, you price it very high so it might never get bought and you’ll have an excuse to keep it. You also price it high because you claim it has a lot of sentimental value.

7. Your shop is barely stocked. And if it is stocked, it’s only with extra fishing junk. Yes or no?

Those are just a few of the noticeable symptoms of OCPD. With this test, you might be able to diagnose yourself and get on the path of healing. Remember, the first step to getting better is admitting you have a problem.

But, now you might be wondering what causes OCPD? Well, a number of things do. Sometimes you are just born with it. Sometimes it’s triggered by saving items for the packrat avatar. Sometimes a person can get so overwhelmed with the multitude of beautiful items available here in Neopia that they never want to let any items go.

Only you can know what caused your OCPD. It may have been gradual; it may have happened suddenly. One thing I can tell you is that OCPD is not painful in any way.

If you have OCPD and have finally admitted it, you’ll be happy to know that you aren’t alone. To prove that, I have gathered a few quotes from fellow OCPD sufferers.

“After I got the packrat avatar, I just kept on collecting items! I made every excuse I could think of not to sell my beloved items. But after the door on my SDB burst, I sought help.”

-123456marissa

“I thought having 2000 items was normal. But when I told my best neofriend how many items I had, she couldn’t believe me. It was then that I labelled myself as a packrat. I didn’t know it was a full-blown ailment with a medical name and everything!”

-101monarica101

“I love my items. I did keep them in case I needed them. But after three years of never needing them, I bit the bullet and sold them all. I made over 500k just with my junky items! I even found a glowing paint brush in my safety deposit box!”

-Username removed

“For me, it all started what that darn Money Tree. I would visit it every day. Some days I’d just get junk. Others I’d get petpets, books, even a Christmas paint brush! Of course I started hoarding my items. I’m selling them slowly right now. I don’t want to change my life too drastically just yet.”

-”Robo”

You see, all kinds of people are living comfortably with OCPD. There is no cure for it, and there may never be.

Luckily, more research is being done each day to learn more about this strange disorder. Thanks to this article, light is being shed on this issue. We scientists are working night and day, studying people with OCPD. If all goes well, we should have a cure in a year or two. Even if we can’t cure it, at least people with this disorder can live happy, normal lives. They won’t have to hide it anymore.

So fellow OCPD sufferers, display your packrat avatars proudly!